Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 25,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 9 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

I have read a couple other versions of The Are of War, which I enjoyed a lot. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a comic book version, but I thought it was a great idea. It only took about 30 minutes to read and I have to admit I was a bit surprised at the quantity and quality of Sun Tzu’s philosophy that was in this (comic) book.

The illustrations were well done and the “characters” and “story” changes for different “lessons” that are presented in the book. So it’s more of a “short stories” comic book.

I think that the Smarter Comics version of The Art of War is a great way to get a basic understanding of The Art of War or a great starting point for any one who thinks they might be interested in reading a more “complete” version later.

I know that Smarter Comics are “comics that make you smarter” but I thought the quiz at the end was a bit much (but not enough to change my rating).

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Not being an alumni of either school (never even visited the State of Louisiana) or having any other ties to the teams, this game is just pure football enjoyment for me. The same teams play every year (GSU and SU) and the series is so close you can expect a great (and entertaining) game every year. The halftime show is a don’t miss event on it’s own, the Battle of the Bands!

The Important Information

What: The State Farm Bayou Classic (State Farm is the primary sponsor).

When: Saturday November 26, 2011

Who: Grambling State and Southern University

Where: Louisiana Super Dome, Televised on NBC (check your listings)

Halftime: Battle of the Bands

Grambling leads the series 19-18

Now all that is left to do (besides wait) is clear your calendar and plan the Bayou Classic Football Party!

Necro Files is a collection of “horror” stories, written by twenty authors over a period of 20 years. Many of the authors have won or were nominated for awards, such as the Bram Stoker Award. I was thrilled when I found out I won a copy on Goodreads (as a first read giveaway), especially since Halloween was just around the corner and I was in a mood to be scared.

The book ended up being a total disappointment. Some of the stories had a twist at the end that was reminiscent of the TV series The Twilight Zone, except the twists in Necro Files were so telegraphed and poorly done that I could see what was coming in most of the stories, and in a few, in the first paragraphs. Only one story had an ending that caught me off guard and that is because the protagonist lived, and in the situation he was in it was totally unbelievable that he wasn’t killed. This ruined the story.

There are some “Extreme”, violent “sex” and graphic passages in the book, making this an ADULT ONLY book.

Gore and violence doesn’t equal horror no matter how “extreme” or detailed it is. In a few of the stories it felt that the writer was just trying too hard. Example: What is worse that having sex with a dead person? Having the dead person rotting and full of maggots! (Guess this type of writing is what justified the use of “Extreme” in the title of the book).

One of the stories had a torture passage that was hard to read, but the character development was so poor that there was no real emotional investment to make a true impact.

The two scariest parts of the book, for me, was when in one of the stories had a character describe the process of making hamburger (wasn’t scary enough for me not to want a meatloaf for dinner). The other was when a character was described as wearing what looked like a plaid fur coat.

I was wanting a book that left me wanting to leave the lights on and maybe give me a shiver or two. What I ended up with was a book that felt as if it was always over reaching and trying to shock the reader instead of trying to scare the reader. Sometimes less is more.

The worse thing about this book is that it took away my desire to read. Hope I get it back soon.

If only horror and horrible meant the same thing…

I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone!

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When we arrived at the Circus the first thing we got to see were protesters, telling us how the circus taught cruelty (I wanted to join them). Before the show got started they had elephant rides, pony rides, and a couple of those blow up bounce houses for the kids to play in, for a fee (before the show started, intermission, and after the show). We bought Riley an ice cone and a light sword to wave around, good thing. Before they dimmed the lights the announcer made sure to remind all the kids that to be part of the (light) show they would need one of the lighted souvenir to wave around (which we thought was a bit tacky).

There were only 3 acts (not including the rides) that used wild animals (tigers and elephants). The first act was the tiger tamer and for some reason whenever I see a lone man (with a whip) in a cage with 7 tigers, I find myself pulling for the tigers. As for the act itself it was pretty much what one would expect, man with whip makes tigers run around and jump through hoops (including a flaming hoop), not impressive and could have been left out or replaced with some other type of act. Another act, featured the star elephant. We got to see him walk on a barrel from one platform to another platform, stand on his front legs, do tricks while on a narrow plank, play a couple instruments, and skip around the center ring. The kids got involved when the elephant sat down, banged on a table and refused to do any tricks until he got a treat (all part of the act), kids laughed and cheered for the elephant. For me the sight of seeing an elephant made to skip was truly a sad event. The last act with wild animals was when several elephants came out with with their riders (scantily dressed women). The elephants danced around, stood on their hind legs while placing their front legs on the backs of the elephant in front of them, the usual. Again I feel these acts could have been replaced and not only would the circus not lose anything but they easily could have gained.

There were several acts that were enjoyable: the stunt BMX bike rider doing his tricks, the motorcycles, human cannonball, the woman doing tricks on the ropes (rings and bars/swings), and even the clowns were funny (well for the most part).

The dog acts were amusing and fun to watch, the kids seem to enjoy them as well. As a former dog owner I didn’t mind watching the dog acts, I know how much dogs enjoyed working and pleasing their owners.

On a side note: the women up in the air doing the tricks on the ropes (rings and swings), if you replaced the rope with a pole (a simple change), suddenly it’s not so family oriented entertainment is it?

As far as the circus goes I think we can find better and more rewarding ways to spend time with Riley. Maybe next year we’ll join the protesters.

]]> http://monkspoint.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/a-trip-to-the-circus/feed/ 0 Felonious Monk http://monkspoint.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/peace-by-richard-bausch/ http://monkspoint.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/peace-by-richard-bausch/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:42:08 +0000 Felonious Monk http://monkspoint.wordpress.com/?p=843 ]]> Peace by Richard Bausch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When this book (Peace) was recommended to me, I read the description and was a bit reluctant to read it at first. The plot sounded all too familiar. A soldier witnesses a murder committed by his Sargent and must decide if he should report it. After seeing the book was only about 170 pages I decided I would give it a try (that and the fact that I trust the person who recommended it to me).

The setting for Peace is Italy during WWII. Most of the story takes place during the mission after the murder takes place. Corporal Marson and two of his men must scout ahead for German troops and report back to the Sargent. Richard Bausch meshes together a wonderful story of the “current” mission, the past, and personal memories that build the reality of the characters that the readers will feel for and know on a personal level.

The thing that sets this story apart (from what felt so familiar to me), is the fact that Richard Bausch has the murder taking place so fast that no one could have stopped it and at a time that it was almost understandable (for a moment). To muddle things further Corp. Marson and his men hear the Nazi’s committing an atrocity and they are helpless to stop it. The story makes it impossible not to compare “the murder” with the acts of war.

As a reader you should be prepared for an emotional story that is hard to put down. One that is profound on many levels and is told (written) so well you will be thinking about it long after you have finished it.

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This book is exactly what the title says it is, it’s a Survival Guide. Reading this book is NOT like reading a novel, it doesn’t tell a story, it tells you how to survive a zombie outbreak. The Zombie Survival Guide explains how to chose weapons, what tools you’ll need, and what actions you need to take.

Max Brooks does such a good job, that after reading the survival guide, I find myself being more prepared for the coming zombie outbreak than I am for any other possible “natural” disaster. Max explains everything (that’s known) about the virus that turns people into zombies.

The last part of the survival guide gives accounts and “proof” of previous outbreaks that have occurred thorough out human history. The “proof” is laid out chronologically and offers artifacts, stories, and eyewitness accounts (several with the disclaimer that government officials deny that any zombies were involved).

The brilliance behind Max Brooks book The Zombie Survival Guide is that he did it the way all survival guides are done and he did it convincingly. The knowledge it contains is what will keep you alive and without it your chances of survival plummets.

BE PREPARED!

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This is the first time I have been intimidated writing a book review. One would think that if I read the book this review would be 100% grammatically correct, that just isn’t going to happen (I suffer from grammar allergies). Whenever someone starts talking or I start reading about adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and modifiers all I hear is what sounds to me like Charlie Brown’s teacher (wah wah wah). I found myself having to reread paragraphs to get some of the information to sink in (phrasal verb). This book might actually be a cure for those, like me, who suffer from grammar allergies; if taken in enough doses.

Reading the book not only helped me learn if what I was doing was right or wrong but also explained what made it right or wrong. The “Quick and Dirty Tips” are great and easy to remember. If your memory isn’t the best, the tips are listed in the back of the book “Quick and Dirty Grammar at a Glance”. Knowing this could have saved me from reading the first 200+ pages (I kid). I recommend reading the entire book. I will have to reread this book several times and keep it on hand for reference. I’m not a professional or “serious” writer, I just post some book reviews and random thoughts on my Blog. I’m not too worried about my grammar. I just want my posts to not be horrendous.

I highly recommend this book to everyone and think it should be mandatory reading for students.

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I decided to do my own “research” and see what score our government representatives (as a whole) would get on the Hare checklist.

First I’m not a doctor or qualified to give the test ( I just did it for entertainment). Second I didn’t rate each person individually. I just took congress as a whole and went through the checklist.

I ended up giving our elected politicians a scored 31 (to be diagnosed as a psychopath you need a score of 30 or more). I would be interested to see what score you ended up giving them.

After my 2 minutes of research I have concluded that if the most powerful country in the world is run by a psychopathic group then, as a whole, the world is run by psychopaths!

There are 20 traits on the checklist. To score you give either 0, 1, or 2 points for each item (0 for not at all, 1 for applies somewhat and 2 definitely fits).

The twenty traits assessed by the PCL-R score are:
glib and superficial charm
grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
need for stimulation
pathological lying
cunning and manipulativeness
lack of remorse or guilt
shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
callousness and lack of empathy
parasitic lifestyle
poor behavioral controls
sexual promiscuity
early behavior problems
lack of realistic long-term goals
impulsivity
irresponsibility
failure to accept responsibility for own actions
many short-term marital relationships
juvenile delinquency
revocation of conditional release
criminal versatility

I saw Jon Ronson on The Daily Show and his book sounded interesting. The book is multifaceted as he looks into the mental illness industry and he takes a look at the theory that psychopaths are running the world. Jon (Ronson) interviews scientologists (who believe that the doctors are manufacturing mental illnesses), doctors and psychopaths.

The theory that psychopaths are running the world comes from the fact that about 1% of the population are psychopaths, the lower or higher you go in society the percentage of psychopaths goes up. According to this book about 20% of inmates are psychopaths and about 4% of CEO’s are psychopaths.

(Scary thought: Next time you are at a sporting event or concert, stop and think, for every 1,000 people there, there are10 psychopaths).

Jon also looks at madness in the media. It seems that if you have the right kind of madness you’ll get attention from the news or end up on a reality TV show. Apparently the general population wants to see people that are crazier than they are so they can say “I’m not that bad”. After reading this part of the book I was thinking, “that explains a lot”.

The book contains the Bob Hare Checklist (it can also be found online). The checklist will help you spot psychopaths on your own. Doctors use it to rate someones responses and them give them points either 0, 1, or 2. There are 20 items on the checklist so the maximum score someone can get is 40.To be diagnosed as a psychopath someone would need to score at least 30.

Here is the checklist:

The twenty traits assessed by the PCL-R score are:

glib and superficial charm
grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
need for stimulation
pathological lying
cunning and manipulativeness
lack of remorse or guilt
shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
callousness and lack of empathy
parasitic lifestyle
poor behavioral controls
sexual promiscuity
early behavior problems
lack of realistic long-term goals
impulsivity
irresponsibility
failure to accept responsibility for own actions
many short-term marital relationships
juvenile delinquency
revocation of conditional release
criminal versatility

The book also takes a look at misdiagnosing, over labeling, over medicating and pharmaceutical companies pushing their drugs.

I have to say although I found many interesting things in this book and thought it was well done. I just didn’t think it was a really good of a read. I just can’t quite put my finger on why.

Bob Hare’s site: http://www.hare.org/

There are plenty of other sites if you are interested just search The Psychopath Test.

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